I’m on a campaign to wipe out “beige food.” How I envy Anthony Bourdain who gets to travel around the globe indulging in amazing culinary sensations. I might not, however, be able to do that job, simply because I’m a one drink wonder and he seems to have to consume massive quantities of alcohol frequently in conjunction with those amazing foods. Not sure how much of an audience I would draw as they’d be filming me slurring my words and stumbling around, or falling asleep in my plate of food.

Sweet Potato hash browns, ground chicken, avocado and eggs.

The person you never want to get behind in the grocery store checkout or at the meat counter is me. Buying fresh means everything needs to be weighed out. I hear people in line behind me sighing away as the clerk asks questions like “what are these” when she picks up my tomatillos or habanero peppers, and my order takes forever to ring up. I’m proud to admit that I am on a first name basis with the folks in the produce department and behind the meat counter, and at my local farmer’s markets.

I try not to judge people for what is in their shopping carts, but I can tell you that people do notice what you buy in the grocery store. I’ve had cashiers, and other people say wow, looks like you eat healthy, or now that is a TON of vegetables. I hope it doesn’t ever come across as bragging, but when someone notices, I generally can’t help but say, yes I used to weigh 215 pounds, but diet and exercise help!! And with minimal engagement, I’ve been known to share information about Paleo blogs/websites.

I love sharing what I’ve learned and hope by doing that I can inspire others to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Eating pretty food honestly makes a person feel better-not only because you are cooking fresh, but also because you are exploring the wonderful world of food and nutrition.

Life is too short to eat beige food or Anthony Bourdain would not have a net worth of 9 million dollars!!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 sweet potato, peeled and shredded

1/2 avocado, cubed

1 cup ground chicken, pre-cooked and spiced with your favourites

1-2 farm fresh eggs

1-2 T coconut oil

Heat coconut oil in a skillet over Med High heat. Add shredded sweet potato and cook until browned but not burned..kinda tricky because of sugar content of the potatoes.

Cook 1-2 eggs in 1 T ghee or butter.

Arrange with sweet potatoes on bottom, ring with avocado, and top with cooked chicken and eggs.

Going to step up on my scientist (and mom) soap box here for a moment and plead my case for the importance of breakfast. As you sleep, your metabolic rate decreases. Your body, at rest, doesn’t require as many calories as your body in motion. Eating breakfast initiates thermogenesis, the process of digesting and transporting food. The fuel you provide for your body can increases metabolic rates by as much as 10%. Numerous studies have also shown that energy levels and your ability to concentrate are influenced by whether or not you eat breakfast and the choices you make for breakfast.

Breakfast may also influence your dietary choices for the day. We tend to make the worst dietary choices when we allow our blood glucose levels to dip and cravings set in. I typically eat the largest amount of food early in the day, and then maintain my blood glucose levels by eating snacks or smaller meals every two to three hours.

For breakfast, I encourage you to include healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates in your meal. Typically, those foods we label as breakfast are more heavily focused on carbohydrates..things like cereals, muffins, toast, pancakes with syrup for example. Try thinking outside the box (especially the cereal box) and add things like bell peppers, onions, avocado and raw nuts to your breakfast menu.

Here is one of my favorite breakfast meals. If you are short on time in the morning, you can save prep time by pre-chopping your veggies with dinner prep the night before.

Be sure your bacon is nitrate-free and sugar-free. Farmer’s markets are a great place to find fresh eggs and locally grown produce during the summer months.

double-yolk egg..we get free range eggs from a young girl who was our old neighbor in Black Forest. The money she makes from selling eggs goes into her college fund!! If you live in my local community, please let me know if you need fresh eggs as I have several sources.

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs

1/2 sweet potato-peeled and grated

3 green onions

1 yellow bell pepper

2-3 slices bacon

1 ripe avocado

juice from 1 fresh squeezed lemon

spices

2-3 ghee or coconut oil

SWEET POTATO HASH BROWNS: To cook sweet potato hash browns, you can either use your bacon grease or melt ghee or coconut oil in a skillet and once it’s hot, add sweet potato. cook fully on one side before turning or they may soak up too much grease and not get crispy.

SAUTEED VEGGIES: you can choose any veggies you like-I just like the color of the bell peppers and green onions together. Sautee in melted ghee and season with sea salt and ground pepper if you like.

GUACAMOLE: Cut ripe avocado in half. Remove pit an avocado. Cut avocado into smaller chunks and remove from peel. Mash with a fork and add in juice from 1 fresh squeezed lemon.

In January, 2012 my son (and trainer) Eric Allen asked if I would come to Crossfit Continuum to take some pictures of their athletes doing their WODS. Thru the lens of the camera, I saw something that stirred my inner core and jarred old memories awake. I watched as a group of athletes performed pull-ups, sit ups, and squats while a clock on the wall ticked off time. I’m not sure what left the biggest impression on me that day..whether it was the degree of interaction between trainer and athlete, the intense level of focus on the face of the athletes, the spirit of competition, or the sense of “team” that I recognized from years of being an athlete myself. Whatever it was, it started calling to my soul.

After photographing a few rounds of the WOD, I left the gym, but the gym didn’t leave me. On the drive home, memories of me as a physically fit athlete flooded my brain, and tears spilled down my face. I compared myself to the people I had met that day…young working mothers, a college teacher, former college athletes..all working toward a common goal. Sadly, I realized that the one thing I lacked in common with them was their commitment to health and fitness. A spark of desire ignited that day. I wanted that back in my life. Encouraged by the passion my son Eric had developed for CrossFit and personal training, I sought his help and advice.

The first leg of my recovery began in the kitchen on February 5th. Weighing a shocking 215 pounds, I bid farewell to potato chips, cheese, pasta and bread. I literally hauled the trash can up to the pantry and began throwing things out. Fortunately, I had met Loren Cordain years prior when he gave a guest lecture to our department, so I had an understanding of Paleo basics. Educated as a Biological Anthropologist, the principles of the Paleo lifestyle made sense to me. For the next two months, I tried new recipes, shopped on the outer edges of the store, walked briskly past the bakery, chatted with the butcher about the meat selections, replaced my old spices, and fell in love with avocados, sweet potatoes, and butter again. With each passing week, my clothes became looser, and my confidence more visible. I was averaging a 2 pound per week weight loss by simply converting to the Paleo nutritional lifestyle. Repairing my damaged self-esteem while building a solid nutritional foundation for the rest of my life and the changes to come, I felt in control of my life for the first time in years.

In early March I joined the weight loss challenge work, and committed to weekly weigh-ins along with before and after bod-pod assessments. Imagine my shock when I discovered that even though I had lost 18 pounds by then, I was still considered obese and my body fat percentage was a whopping 40.6%. But rather than let that knowledge defeat me, I allowed it to motivate me. I broke thru my denial and posted my weight, body fat percentage, goals and determination on FB for the whole world to see. I also joined the 30 day Paleo challenge at CrossFit Continuum. Tracking my meals, sleep and hydration levels gave me additional insight into my deficits, and inspired me to correct a few more old habits.

I set a goal to begin CrossFit on 1 April, 2012. By the last week of March I had lost 22 pounds, and with that came the confidence to walk thru the doors of Crossfit Continuum once again, a week ahead of my goal. Walking back into the gym, I was immediately welcomed as a team member by trainers and fellow athletes alike. The first few workouts left me dizzy, nauseous, and exhausted, but filled with a desire to compete..not only against the clock, but against the unhealthy person I had allowed myself to become.

On May 14th, I took a second bod pod assessment. My overall body fat percentage was now down to 38.1%. I was no longer considered obese and I had converted 10 pounds of fat to lean muscle mass. Clean eating and CrossFit were working their magic.

The differences that I feel and see between the 215 pound photographer who saw hope for her life through a different lens and the athlete I’m rediscovering overwhelm me. I’m proud of my fitness and that serves to re-inspire me daily. When I am unable to make it to our box, I hike in the beautiful Colorado mountains, work in my yard or do home WODs. I’ve also added Yoga to my workout schedule.

I’m forever grateful for the athletes, my teammates, who inspired me that January day. I also owe Eric a debt of gratitude for never giving up on me and for continuing to guide me gently in the right direction toward the life I deserved until I was ready to climb over the wall of self-doubt.

Fifty pounds lighter, my focus is no longer on a number appearing on my scale, but on the number of people I can inspire to seek out a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their families. Please allow me to share my recipes, my lifestyle, my triumphs and my lessons learned on my new blog Paleofcourse.